In Rationality Zero by J.M. Guillen, James Bond meets H.P Lovecraft as a secret agent attempts to save the world from invading eldritch horrors. (The dictionary on this computer suggests I change the word “eldritch” to “britches,” which is not at the same, although depending on whose britches could be equally as terrifying.)

Michael Bishop is an Agent of the Facility. Most of the time, he has the perfect life. He’s physically fit, even though he never exercises, there’s always money in his accounts, and he spends his days living the good life with sexy ladies. Until, of course, he is activated, and the machinery embedded in his brain allows him to remember his other life, where he is a cybernetically enhanced operative who protects the world from deviations in Rationality. In essence, all of the human world operates at Rationality Zero. Psychic events, eldritch horrors, monsters, and other weird shit cause the Rationality level to deviate. It’s all very mathy, and I love it.

In his latest assignment, Michael is dealing with a threat that’s unlike any other deviation from Rationality that he’s experienced before. Usually, the creatures he fights are low-level and kind of stupid. But this time, they’re intelligent, and they know that Facility Agents are coming. They lie in wait for the opportune moment to strike…

If you are new to Guillen’s work, it’s best to explain that Rationality Zero is a part of two different series. The first is The Dossiers of Agent 108, which is the story of Michael Bishop, which is presumably set on our own planet. The second is The Paean of Sundered Dreams, which is a larger shared universe comprised of different worlds which are each undergoing their own struggle with impending doom and darkness. The stories in The Paean of Sundered Dreams encompass many different genres, but each world is going through its own version of the same calamity and must respond to it. I’d recommend Rationality Zero as a good starting point, because like Slave of the Sky Captain, it has a lot more context and explanation than some of the other stories in the universe. However, unlike Slave of the Sky Captain, there are already sequels, just waiting to be devoured…